Disc 1
The first disc contains most of the first set (the final
song not fitting, and so opening the second disc), starting off with “Greatest
Story Ever Told.” That tune is followed by some great stage banter about
choosing a song, and about a guy hollering out requests for “Alligator.” The
band then goes into a really nice version of “Cold Rain And Snow.”
Pigpen then gets things rocking with “Chinatown Shuffle,”
one of his new tunes, and one that is a tremendous amount of fun. For those who
haven’t heard it, here is a taste of the lyrics: “And I can't handle your problems/Don't try to handle mine/Get yourself
a shotgun, a pocket full of shells/And we can while away the time.” It’s a
breezy number, not one of those epic Pigpen grooves, but still really good. The first
disc also contains Pigpen’s “Mr. Charlie,” a song the band debuted the previous
summer.
The band goes country with a cover of Hank Williams’ “You
Win Again,” a song they did only in 1971 and 1972. It’s a shame they didn’t do
this one more often. It’s an excellent song, and Jerry does a great job with
it. They also do covers of “Big Railroad Blues,” “Big Boss Man” and “El Paso.”
The first set also includes sweet renditions of “Jack
Straw” and “Looks Like Rain.” And after a nice “Loser,” there is a surprising
joke about a Steely Dan, William S. Burroughs’ term for a special dildo (from
his book Naked Lunch). There’s more
delightful stage banter before “Playing In The Band.” This is a seriously good
“Playing,” with a lively and exciting jam.
Disc 2
The second disc begins with the final song of the first
set, Pigpen belting out “Good Lovin’.” And of course it’s his vocal
improvisation during the song’s jam that is the track’s highlight. His
repetition of “All night long” at one
point might call to mind “Wang Dang Doodle.”
The second set opens with a bang – a seriously good
version of “Truckin’” with a jam that just keeps rocking. My lower back had
been hurting for several days, and I couldn’t help but dance to this one. And
you know, I think it helped. And then ten minutes in, the guys return to the song’s
final verse. Why not? And after that, the jam gets a bit mellower and
exploratory, and eases into a drum solo, which then breaks open into an
excellent “The Other One.” This version begins as a great, pounding number, and
soon goes off into odd territory. And more than ten minutes into the tune, they
return to main theme of the song and sing the first verse. And then it’s off
into the unknown again. Then when it seems they might return to that main theme
again, interestingly “Me And My Uncle” emerges. The second that song ends, the
band does go back to the main theme of “The Other One” and after a little while
gets round to the second verse. This entire section is fantastic, and is one of
the highlights of the show.
Disc 3
As the second disc ends, the band is going into “Wharf
Rat” out of “The Other One,” and it is there where the third disc picks up. “Wharf
Rat” is one of my favorite Dead tunes, and this rendition is wonderful. I
especially like the quiet delivery of the “But
I’ll get back on my feet someday” section, and how “I’ll get up and fly away” emerges powerfully from that. “Sugar
Magnolia” has a ton of energy, as you’d expect, and there is a nice long pause
before “Sunshine Daydream.” And then Pigpen brings things down a bit with a
moving rendition of his “The Stranger (Two Souls In Communion).” This song was
played just a dozen times, all in 1972. The band then wraps things up with “Not Fade
Away” into “Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad” back into “Not Fade Away.” Apparently,
there was no encore that night. None was needed; the band had already given the
audience everything.
CD Track List
Disc 1
- Greatest Story Ever Told
- Cold Rain And Snow
- Chinatown Shuffle
- Black-Throated Wind
- You Win Again
- Mr. Charlie
- Jack Straw
- Loser
- Looks Like Rain
- Big Railroad Blues
- Big Boss Man
- Playing In The Band
- El Paso
Disc 2
- Good Lovin’
- Truckin’ >
- Drums >
- The Other One >
- Me And My Uncle >
- The Other One
Disc 3
- Wharf Rat
- Sugar Magnolia
- The Stranger (Two Souls In Communion)
- Not Fade Away >
- Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad >
- Not Fade Away
Dave’s Picks Volume
14 was released in May of 2015. My copy arrived on May 1, 2015.
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